You know that someone is your friend if meeting up after four years, you give each other a hug and immediately start talking and diving into what really matters in your life. You know it if you feel comfortable sharing the challenging stuff, feeling safe to just open up.

So, Amélie and Lou had their little reunion in Lisbon. This time, I saw a face where deep beauty and a sense of vulnerability showed. There was this mix of a zest for life and incredible tiredness that is so familiar to me from my own face at times. The feeling that you have already come a long way and need a rest, but still keep on walking. That sense of big changes coming although right now you do not have the slightest evidence of it. I wonder how many people on this planet we share these feelings with right now.

Returning to Lisbon was special to me for many reasons. Since childhood I have had a special relationship with Saint Antonio. He is the patron of my home town’s church and whenever we needed to find something from keys to money to God knows what, we asked him for help. Needless to say, in 99% of all cases, what was lost showed up again.

It was during my first visit to Lisbon that I learned it is actually Antonio’s birthplace and there is a church dedicated towards him. What makes our bond even stronger is that we both celebrate our birthday on August 15. This time, while I was sitting on a bench right between Saint Antonio on the left and Mother Mary on the right, I pledged this: To get clear on what I want my life to look like. The big picture. All ideas and wishes allowed, even if they may seem ridiculous and unachievable from where I am today. To write it down and make it come true within the next four years or to be more precise, make it come true with the help of these two divine friends whom I trust to let me find the right path. Then to return to Lisbon and this church and start supporting those in need big time. You are my witness now. I am quite aware of how pathetic this may sound, but it just feels like the right next step for me to take.

Why four years? Because that is how long it took me to return to Lisbon since my first visit. Because four years is how long my favorite perfume lasts – it is from Paris and I discovered it in Lisbon. Just bought a new bottle and told the girls in the shop I would be back in 2021, God willing.

So, whatever it is you need to get clear on, do it now. Take a pen and write it down. Give it a date until when it will become your reality. And then whatever step you take or decision you make from now on, ask yourself this question: Is what I am about to do bringing me closer to my goal or further away from it? And let this be your compass.

We are in this together… Love, Lou

P.S.: I already invite everybody who reads this to come to my birthday party in four years. I will be 50 by then. Can you believe it? I look like 32 :)

Date: Saturday August 14, 2021… celebrating right into Sunday August 15

Location: I have to talk to Amélie to spot the perfect place. It will be announced on this blog in due time.